Wildfire Hot Spot Mapping - Austria Fire Futures

The main objective of this Austria Fire Futures study is to develop a unique and innovative concept containing new sets of fire risk hotspot maps at highest spatial resolution under various climate change scenarios and integrate novel insights on local fuel types into forest and forest fire risk models, including new variables such as morphology and recreational activities. To generate such maps on a local scale, fire hazard modeling is necessary to identify endangered forest types in combination with topographic effects. Furthermore, recent fire events in the Austrian Alps show that social aspects, particularly the hiking tourism, are paid too little attention to.Based on the above motivation, we believe that an innovative and improved fire risk hotspot mapping is the fundament for all further forest- and wildfire prevention and hence needs to be seen as an indispensable tool for an integrated fire management (prevention, suppression, post fire measures) while substantially contributing to mitigating climate change as well as minimizing damage to ecosystems, their services, and people.The study will improve our understanding of fire-vulnerable forest areas that may shift over time and space given the underlying climate and fuel assumptions. This will allow experts, practitioners, and the interested public to take a look into the future in order to comprehend and derive solid short-/medium-/and long-term recommendations for fire resilient and sustainable forest management and fire emergency planning.